In both cases when mentioning the day of the week, they used an article, but the lesson states that when speaking of a specific day, one does not use

AnnC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

In both cases when mentioning the day of the week, they used an article, but the lesson states that when speaking of a specific day, one does not use

The article.
Asked 5 years ago
CécileKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hi Ann and Peter, 

In that particular case, talking of that romantic weekend, you have to use the article to convey -

On (the) Saturday you did this ... 

On (the) Sunday you did that ...

You would use , samedi, to talk of the particular saturday in relation to now .

Samedi, je vais aller voir ma mère à l'hopital =  On saturday I am going to go and visit my mother in hospital 

Hope this helps!

PeterC1Kwiziq community member

I wondered that too. None of the three reasons given in the lesson when the definite article is required seemed to match that in this exercise.

AnnC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

So, since this is talking about days in the past, one uses the article. Is that it? Only when saying "On Saturday" meaning in the future, do we use no article?

CécileKwiziq team member

A bit trickier than that... If you were talking about the weekend just gone, you might say -

"samedi,  je suis allée visiter le musée d'Orsay à Paris"

To be clearer, you would use prochain et dernier but as it is still really close , people would understand your meaning.

 

AnnC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I'm totally confused.

BarbaraC1Kwiziq community member

OK Cécile, then change the lesson to incorporate your explanation!!!  I agree with Ann and Peter. And given the lesson I am also totally confused!

CécileKwiziq team member

In the meantime just to recap -

To say that you regularly do something on a certain day of the week, in French you would use

le  + day of the week:

Je fais mes courses le vendredi I do my shopping on Fridays

Marie fait du yoga le lundi Marie does yoga on Mondays

Je vais au bureau en vélo le mercredi I cycle to the office on Wednesdays

But if you talk about something that is going to happen on one specific day, or has just happened in relation to today, you will use the day of the week only:

Anne va/est allée chez le dentiste mardiAnne is going/went to the dentist's on Tuesday.

Son anniversaire est dimanche Her birthday in on/this Sunday

J'ai rendez-vous chez le docteur mardi (prochain) I have an appointment at the doctor's on Tuesday (or next Tuesday)

Hope this is a bit clearer!

 

 

AnnC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

That's why we are confused. They (in our minds) are speaking of a specific day, yet they do use the article.

In both cases when mentioning the day of the week, they used an article, but the lesson states that when speaking of a specific day, one does not use

The article.

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